Rosendale, along with her husband and child, were headed down Interstate 12 when all of the cars in front of the them came to a halt. A Dodge Stratus rear-ended their truck at 60 mph.

The family spent the night in the emergency room. But the family is still dealing with the consequences of that 2010 day more than three years later.

"So around $120,000 later, medical bills and me and my husband had to go to a therapist for eight months to try to get our lives back together, we had to claim it on our insurance," said Rosendale.

Luckily, Rosendale says she had uninsured motorist coverage, something many families overlook. Rosendale wishes she had even more coverage.

Out-of-state uninsured driverscausing problems

State police will verify whether a driver has valid auto insurance at the scene of an accident, according to Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Melissa Matey. However, state police can only enforce Louisiana laws. Meaning if the driver is from another state, police can only record the fact that the driver is uninsured in the accident report.

"In the event that another state requires insurance we can definitely look into that, we can make sure they have insurance and we can call and verify with that insurance company," said Matey. "They would not fall under the same violations they would in Louisiana."

The chances of getting hit by an uninsured motorist from another state is high on Louisiana roads. A 2011 study from the Insurance Research Council found Mississippi had the highest percentage of uninsured drivers, 28 percent.

Mississippi is hoping to decrease those numbers soon. Beginning in 2014, the state will start rolling out a computer system that recognizes if a driver doesn't have insurance, or has cancelled their insurance.

Eventually, the system will send out letters to uninsured drivers asking them to get insurance or send proof of insurance. If they don't comply, they could be cited.

Lawmaker looks to stiffen penalties

State Rep. Ray Garofalo, R-Chalmette, recently worked to pass a law allowing law enforcement to tow drivers if they don't have insurance on a first violation. He's now looking at other options to stiffen penalties, including whether or not a state law could penalize out-of-state uninsured drivers.

"Actually, a constituent contacted me last year and they were hit by a Texas resident," said Garofalo. "That Texas resident had no insurance, Texas resident goes home, no penalties, no fines, no problems."

Garofalo is still examining whether a bill penalizing out-of-state drivers is legal.

Rosendale hopes her story will convince others to get insurance

Rosendale continued to work at a sign making company after the accident, but her injuries eventually made it tough to do the physical work. She decided to get a job as an insurance agent, where she now tells her own story to convince others to get uninsured motorist coverage.

"Be smart about it before it happens to you," Rosendale tells clients.

Rosendale says many people don't fully understand what uninsured motorist coverage means. She recommends people not only get uninsured motorist coverage, but an average or maximum policy.

Uninsured and under-insured drivers pose risks

Personal injury attorney Gibby Andry has many clients who come to them after an accident with an uninsured driver, and are struggling to pay for the costs.

He said it's key for drivers to not just be covered for uninsured drivers, but for under-insured drivers.

"Uninsured coverage is the best buy in Louisiana," said Andry. "If you don't have it, get it. If you don't have enough, double it. Because the person that hits you isn't going to have enough insurance."